MS Shanker Azharuddin – From Captaincy to Controversy When a senior police officer recently named three former India cricketers—Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, and Mohammad Azharuddin—as key culprits behind the sorry state of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), it wasn’t hyperbole. It was a blunt, uncomfortable truth that had long circulated in cricketing circles. In the…
MS Shanker Mohan Bhupathy, former selector, speaks out: No more experiments, we need results In the wake of the state CID’s recent crackdown on the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), a long-overdue clean-up operation finally seems to be underway. The arrests of three HCA officials, including the sitting President, in connection with the IPL ticketing scam…
MS Shanker In yet another twist to the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) continuing saga of controversy, Acting President Sardar Daljit Singh and Joint Secretary Basavaraju find themselves under a cloud. The duo, part of the “leftover” Apex Council after the arrest of three key office-bearers — President, Secretary, and Treasurer — are now accused of…
MS Shanker The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been plunged into fresh controversy after several club secretaries questioned the legality and propriety of a series of decisions taken by the current Apex Council. The criticism follows the suspension of HCA President G. R. Jaganmohan Rao, Secretary Devraj Ramachandran, and Treasurer C.J. Srinivas Rao—all arrested in…
Arshad Ayub: From Test Cricketer to Alleged Architect of Corruption MS Shanker (Editor’s Note: Following receipt of a legal notice from former Indian Test cricketer and ex-HCA President Arshad Ayub, this article has been revised. Certain portions have been removed or modified to avoid misinterpretation. A corrigendum has also been issued immediately after receipt of…
MS Shanker In a long overdue move, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has suspended its President Jagan Mohan Rao, Secretary Devraj Ramachandran, and Treasurer Srinivas following their arrest by the Telangana State CID in connection with the now-infamous IPL ticketing scam and other alleged financial irregularities. The emergency decision, reportedly taken by acting president Daljit…
MS Shanker It’s not every day that you see Asaduddin Owaisi and Arnab Goswami on the same page. But when it comes to the sentiment that India must not play cricket with Pakistan—leave alone in a marquee tournament like the Asia Cup—the nation is speaking with one voice, from expected and unexpected quarters alike. Owaisi,…
There was a time when the Indian judiciary was held in awe—an institution that struck down excesses of the executive, defended the rights of citizens, and embodied the conscience of the nation. Today, that reverence is in steep and dangerous decline. And it’s not merely an angry whisper on the street—it’s a roaring discontent felt…
A Forgotten Keeper’s Grief, and a Game in Ruins MS Shanker In my ongoing journey to uncover the root causes of Hyderabad cricket’s freefall—and more importantly, to spotlight voices that offer serious, constructive solutions—I caught up this week with a voice not often heard, but one that certainly deserves to be. Meet Youraj Singh, now…
In a functioning democracy, every political party has the right to contest or boycott an election. But when that boycott is threatened not in protest of injustice but seemingly to shield a legacy of electoral malpractice, it raises serious concerns about intent, integrity, and commitment to the Constitution. That’s exactly what appears to be happening…
